International Research in Children's Literature is essential reading for literary scholars in the field of children's literature, especially those interested in applications of cultural and literary theories, comparative literatures, and the production and reception of children's literature as a world literature. The study of children's literature is an integral part of literary, cultural and media studies, and this scholarly journal, widely international in scope, addresses the diverse intellectual currents of this constantly expanding subject area.

The journal welcomes submissions from scholars in the field, both IRSCL members and others. Acceptance of papers is subject to rigorous international peer review and revision. The journal publishes four issues in a biennium: a general issue, a special themed issue, and two issues largely based on the most recent IRSCL Congress theme. IRCL is indexed by Thomson Reuters Arts and Humanities Citation Index and Current Contents/Arts & Humanities, by MLA and by the British Humanities Index.